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Brisket fatality...Sort of.

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    Brisket fatality...Sort of.

    New to the pit from suburban Chicago, not that new to smoking briskets and butts. Saturday I threw a 12 pound brisket on my little Traeger. A few days earlier the wind (windy city) blew the cover off. I checked the pellet box and they seemed alright, not wet or even damp. I have the stock 4 position thermo on the Traeger so I put it on smoke for about 3-4 hours before bumping up to med (225-240 they say).

    About 3 hours into the smoke the barrel was lukewarm at best and only the fan was running. I turned it off and back on, and we were back in business, or so I thought. My daughter and I went to the store, came back, and barrel was cool again. The meat was warm, but I found out the pellets were a little damp, not smoldering right.

    I replaced the pellets with brand new ones, put the thermo on medium, and went to town. No more flame outs and it was up to 200 by about 630 PM. The potatoes were a little lagging so I foiled up the meat good and tight and opened it 45 minutes later. I went to slice it up and got a gallon of juices, but it was tough and dry when we dove in. I don't know exactly how long the meat was without fire, but I imagine it was maybe 20-25 minutes total. What happened???

    For you locals the meat was from Ellengee Market on the northwest side, I used Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning as my rub, and Pit Boss competition blend pellets from Menards. Any ideas?

    #2


    check out candy sue's write up on pellets and weather/moisture. moisture + Pellets dont mix

    Comment


      #3
      Very informative and looks like just the ticket here. I guess my question is did the heat snafu affect the toughness of the brisket? I sliced it against the grain as suggested. I know there are beastly, ornery cuts of meat out there. Did I get a bum piece or does the heat hiccup play a role?

      Comment


        #4
        What temp did you take the brisket up to?

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          #5
          Welcome cjv140

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            #6
            cjv140, Welcome to "The Pit"! You are Now Enrolled in the BBQ Univ.! Attendance and Participation are Mandatory!
            Enjoy "The Pit"!
            Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

            Comment


              #7
              The flat clocked in at 200, the point was in the upper 180s. I didn't want to roast the flat into a piece of burned nastiness. We separated the point and flat after about 45 minutes in the foil (to keep it hot). I only sliced the flat and it was crazy tough. Great flavor, but a workout for the jaw!

              Comment


                #8
                The consensus here seems to be to start checking for probe tender once it reaches around 190 and keep checking until the probe slides is like doing it into soft butter, frequently around 203 or lower, but could be also higher.

                Sound like you wrapped the meat tightly and just set it on the counter or something.

                Again the consensus of opinion here is to tightly wrap the meat once it has hit probe tender, place it into a faux cambro, or oven at 170 and let it go for at least 1 hour and preferably more. During this stage the fat will render out more, the meat connective tissues will soften, and a lot of the juices will be reabsorbed.

                Brisket is one of the most difficult things to master and even then you just may run into a really tough SOB.

                I have done excellent ones and only OK ones using the same technique and am still trying to master it.

                Comment


                  #9
                  cjv140 Welcome! We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute. Thanks!

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